In the study, a blue figure stood in front of the desk, slender hands holding a brush, eyebrows and eyes like a painting, waist as thin as a willow branch, with an air of nobility that seemed to be born from heaven, yet still gentle. The woman wrote stroke by stroke, without any carelessness, with a sense of tenacity between the lines.

  Xiao Er, dressed in a light green changshan, walked in and slightly bowed to say, "Master." Lan Tu put down his brush and asked, "What is it?" "There are five people outside the door who claim to be the Sunday Five, wanting to see Master." When he heard who the visitors were, Lan Tu smiled faintly, saying they could be considered familiar faces. He smoothed out his hair with a wooden comb and said, "Please invite them in quickly."

  As soon as they entered, Lan Yu excitedly said: "This is the Jade Toad Palace, it's really too beautiful!" The faces of the five members of the Sunday group were filled with excitement, after all, this was their first time seeing the famous Jade Toad Palace. The neatly arranged stone road along the way, the lotus pond by the stone bridge, even though the lotus flowers had already wilted, but thinking about the scene when they bloomed in midsummer must have been extremely beautiful.

  Under the leadership of the maid, the five people entered the hall. Zhao'er bowed and said: "Everyone please wait a little, the host will be here soon, let's have some tea first." After finishing speaking, she retreated.

  The tea that had just been brewed was already placed on the table, emitting a refreshing fragrance. The five people sat down, and Lan Shui picked up the teacup on the table, and a refreshing aroma wafted to their noses. She lightly sipped a small mouthful, nodded slightly, and smiled. Bai Yang took a sip and couldn't help but praise: "This tea is really good, with a delicate fragrance, a sweet and refreshing taste, and it's indeed worthy of the Jade Toad Palace."

  Lan Shui put down the teacup and smiled, "Of course, top-grade Bi Luo Chun is not available everywhere." Just as he was speaking, a blue figure appeared outside the door and walked in slowly. When the five people saw the woman's face clearly, they couldn't help but hold their breath.

  Her figure was slender and elegant, with bright eyes and white teeth. Her lips were red without any makeup, and her eyebrows were green without any drawing. A faint smile on her face made her look gentle yet dignified. They suddenly lost their minds for a moment. Lan Shui stared straight at Blue Rabbit, her beautiful eyes filled with too many emotions - envy, admiration, unwillingness, and helplessness.

  However, no matter how unwilling she was in her heart, at this moment she couldn't help but admit that she had really lost. Suddenly coming back to her senses, the five of them hastily stood up and bowed their fists, saying: "Today's visit was a bit abrupt, we hope that Palace Master Blue Rabbit will forgive us."

  Blue Rabbit also made a fist and returned the courtesy: "I don't dare, I still want to thank you all for last time. Today, you all came to my Jade Toad Palace, it's Blue Rabbit's honor." Being said by Blue Rabbit like this, the five members of Ri Yue actually felt a bit embarrassed, after all, in terms of prestige, Ri Yue Gate was naturally unreachable, and previously they also owed an apology to Qi Xia, now Blue Rabbit's attitude made them feel somewhat ashamed.

  Everyone exchanged a few pleasantries, and then Bai Zhen explained the purpose of their visit: "This time we came not only to visit you all, but also to apologize for the previous competition. We hope that the Seven Heroes can put aside past grievances." Lan Tu smiled slightly upon hearing this: "What are you talking about? On the battlefield, it's every man for himself, no need to worry about so much." Bai Zhen's smile deepened upon hearing this: "Thank you, Palace Master. This time we came also hoping that in the future we can interact more with the Seven Heroes."

  Lan Tu heard this and immediately understood. It turned out that they were here to curry favor, but judging from their appearance, they seemed to be purely here to make friends, and hadn't thought of anything else. The rest was just the cautious thoughts of the Sunday Gate Master. With a warm smile on his face, Lan Tu nodded slightly: "Maintaining peace in the forest is our responsibility as the Seven Heroes. Now that there's one more person with one more share of strength, since the Gate Master has the intention to protect the forest land, why wouldn't we be happy to help?" As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Zhen's smile on his face froze, it seemed that Lan Tu had guessed it a long time ago, and for a moment, he felt a bit embarrassed.

  Before departure, the master had reminded himself to get along with Qi Xia as much as possible. After all, Qi Xia's reputation in the martial arts world was not to be underestimated, and maybe one day Riyue Gate would also make a name for itself. Lan Shui and others didn't notice anything unusual, and Lan Yu spoke up first: "If that's the case, it's really great!"

  At this time, a gray-robed Tiao walked in and heard Yu'er say that the three-day competition of the San Tai Ge had arrived. He couldn't help but feel a little curious. It wasn't that he was attracted to them, but rather because he had previously heard Hong Mao mention how they had stolen the Jing Yuan Pearl, Xiao Li had mentioned Bai Yang and Lan Yu's actions with indignation, which piqued his interest. If it weren't for Tiao and others returning to their respective residences to take care of some matters, they would still be very interested.

  As soon as they entered, Tōto introduced himself: "I'm Tōto, may I ask your honorable name?" The five members of the Yatou group reported their names one after another, and that was how they got to know each other. For the rest of the time, the three brothers of the Byakuya family chatted with Rantō and Tōto in the hall, while Ran Sui and Ran U felt bored and excused themselves to go out for a walk, admiring the scenery as they strolled along.

  The scenery of the Jade Toad Palace is indeed extremely beautiful, with artificial hills that seem to be naturally formed, and a few wildflowers dotted about. As they walked, their mood improved somewhat. Suddenly, they saw a figure in white clothes, polishing a precious sword in the lotus flower pool pavilion in the distance. From afar, they guessed a few things.

  Could it be... the master of Changhong Sword, Hongmao? Before she could think further, Baiyi raised her head unintentionally and saw them, then inserted her sword into its scabbard and jumped in front of them with a light movement. When the two women clearly saw Baiyi's face, they were stunned. Her clothes were as white as snow, her eyes shone like stars, and her warm smile was without any pressure. Baiyi spoke: "Lanshui young lady, Lan Yu young lady, long time no see." In an instant, Lanshui's eyes flashed with shock, it really was... the master of Changhong Sword, Hongmao! Her cheeks flushed with a hint of red, and she slightly bowed her head saying: "I didn't expect that Young Master Hongmao still remembers us."

  On the side, Lan Yu saw Lan Shui's movements and found them somewhat strange. As sisters from a martial arts family, her elder sister usually just cupped her hands in greeting, only bowing her head in return when they encountered more formal occasions, so why today... Noticing the faint flush on Lan Shui's face, as her younger sister, Lan Yu suddenly understood and couldn't help but feel secretly delighted. It seemed that before long, she would have another brother-in-law...

  Rainbow Cat didn't notice anything unusual about Lan Shui, but just smiled faintly and said: "The performance of the three pavilions is much more brilliant than Miss Lan Shui's, I'm really admiring." Hearing Rainbow Cat say this, Lan Shui became even more embarrassed: "Rainbow Cat is overpraising me, my senior brother is still in the main hall with Blue Rabbit Palace Master and Divine Doctor Tiao Tiao, would you like to go together?" Rainbow Cat nodded: "I was just thinking of that."

  Then the three of them went to the main hall together. Along the way, Lan Shui's heart was extremely joyful for some reason, and when Blue Rabbit invited them to stay at Yu Juan Palace for a few days, she became even more delighted.

  It was unclear when, but Lan Shui's feelings for Hong Mao had begun to sprout, and even she herself couldn't tell whether it was affection or admiration. Before long, Ding Dang and Xiao Li returned from town, and upon hearing the news, they didn't show much excitement. As for the Sunday Five, they weren't too fond of them, especially when Yu Er mentioned that Lan Shui seemed to have a crush on Hong Mao, which made them even more displeased.

  In the following days, everything was calm, but Lan Shui would occasionally reveal his concern for Hong Mao in his daily life, which made everyone vaguely aware of it. After confirming with Lan Shui himself, Bai Zhen decided to help Lan Shui convey his feelings to Hong Mao.

  The process is actually very simple, so simple that many people are surprised.

  "Hongmao Xiaoxia, I wonder... have you taken a liking to someone?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Bai Zhen appeared somewhat flustered and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

  It's really like a blind date, Hong Mao seems to have guessed something, and smiled slightly: "Baigongzi, just say what you want to say." As if he had made up his mind, Bai Zhen took a deep breath and said word by word: "In that case, I'll just say it straight out.

  "Sister Lian has admired you for a long time, and as her senior brother, I also hope she can have a good ending. I wonder... how do you feel about it?"

  When she heard this, Hongmao was slightly surprised, but quickly regained her composure. The two of them only talked for the time it took to burn three incense sticks before dispersing.

  Of course, Hong Mao tactfully declined. The premise was that many flattering words were said. "Miss Lan Shui is dignified and gentle, virtuous and polite... I am not a good match for her, and I hope Miss Lan Shui can find her true soulmate."

  In the end, Bai Zhen knew that this marriage was impossible, and he also knew that emotional matters could not be forced. So he gave up on it. When he told Lan Shui about it, she was stunned for a long time and didn't say a word. Bai Zhen let out a soft sigh, knowing that Lan Shui's proud nature had been somewhat shaken. However, Lan Shui's strong personality did not lead her to cry or make a scene, but instead she bid farewell to the others with her fellow disciples the next day and left Yu Chan Palace.

  Since then, Lan Shui has never mentioned this matter again, and it has not affected the connection between Sunday Five and Qi Xiaolong.

  Years later, when Lan Shui thought back on it, she felt that her younger self had been quite bold and lovable. At the time, she was already married to a man from a martial arts family who treated her very well. When Lan Yu accidentally mentioned this incident, she was terrified for half a day, but her brother-in-law just laughed it off and teased Lan Shui about being fearless, earning him a scolding from her. He simply smiled warmly in response.

  Perhaps for Lan Shui, being able to get one person's heart and growing old together without parting ways is the best ending.